McCracken County’s Gage Reeves entered Monday evening’s game at Hopkinsville having pitched just 10 ⅔ innings all season long. He increased that total significantly with a complete game performance against the Tigers.
Reeves allowed just one run on four hits as the Mustangs took a tough 2-1 win in a pitchers’ duel at Hopkinsville High. The Tigers’ Andrew Mayes was doing his part as well, giving up just five hits for the game.
The Mustangs got on the board quickly in this one. Kendrick Dunning led off with a single and then advanced all the way around to third base on a Hopkinsville error on the play. Dunning scored when the next batter, Caden Kern, grounded out to second to make it 1-0.
Reeves and Mayes then exchanged zeroes on the scoreboard until the top of the 5th when the Mustangs scored what would turn out to be the game-winning run. Lucas Gagnon and Braden Casebier led off the top of the fifth with back-to-back singles. Caden Kern later grounded out to score Gagnon, giving McCracken County a 2-0 lead.
Hopkinsville finally tallied a run against Reeves in the bottom of the sixth. Dylan Sweeney drew a one-out walk and then Chase Fort singled to give the Tigers runners at the corners. Gavin Powell grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Sweeney and cut the lead to 2-1. But that was as close as Hopkinsville could get.
Both teams went down in order in the seventh as McCracken County held on for the win. The Mustangs have lost just one game to a Kentucky team this season, that loss coming to Louisville Trinity in a one-run game.
Chase Fort finished 2-3 at the plate for Hopkinsville. Gavin Powell and Gavin Mitchell added one hit each.
Andrew Mayes took the loss for the Tigers on the mound. He went seven innings, giving up just one earned run on five hits, striking out two and walking three.
